


The Plan

by StunAStoat



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Eve, F/M, Fluffy, Plotting, Romance, and i needed something light, definitely a crack fic, i miss agent carter so much, so here it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 02:49:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8950939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StunAStoat/pseuds/StunAStoat
Summary: Daniel has a plan, and everyone but Peggy knows about it (whether they were supposed to or not).





	

Christmas tunes had been drifting out of the wireless all morning as Peggy and the Jarvises worked to put the finishing touches on their Christmas Eve meal. Despite the relative heat and lack of snow in southern California at this time of year, the mood and atmosphere were quite festive. So far, a tree had been decorated, tinsel dangled, stockings hung at the mercifully unlit fireplace, and Mr. Jarvis had been whistling along with the radio as he worked in the kitchen, preparing for the evening meal.

Peggy thoroughly enjoyed seeing this side of Mr. Jarvis, as she so frequently saw him in his element as the stuffy, particular butler and close assistant and confidant to Howard, rather than in his domestic element as the stuffy, particular domesticated man constantly flustered by his wife’s displays of affection and so clearly deeply in love with her. Peggy knew from experience that Ana’s delight at putting her husband so slightly out of sorts would fade, and she would give him a bit of a break for a while due to slight guilt, and then resume wholeheartedly within the next couple of hours. She was used to the cycle, and felt surprisingly content to be spending the holiday in the company of such dear friends. The sparse, tense holidays of wartime felt a little more distant as she allowed herself to enjoy the comfortable moments of the warm holiday with her friends.

The evening would be small - Howard, Ana, Edwin, Peggy, and Daniel. The odd amalgam of company was welcome, as none had any other family with whom they were able to spend the holiday, given their small amount of time off at the holidays and their distance from their families. Furthermore, all lived under the same roof, Daniel excepted, and his presence was happily anticipated by everyone, not just Peggy. Howard and the Jarvises’ affection for him was surprisingly deep, considering the short time he had known them,esteem their made more profound by the harrowing events of the previous winter combined with the rapidity with which Peggy and Daniel’s relationship had solidified.

“Peggy, what time will we be expecting Mr. Sousa?” Ana gently broke into Peggy’s contemplative silence.

“I told him to join us at 4 o’clock for drinks,” Peggy responded. “He is a very punctual individual, so I imagine he will arrive at 4 on the dot.”

“Excellent! I’m glad to spend more time with him. After all, I’m expecting to hear news of a proposal any day now.”

Peggy, blushing immediately, managed to stammer, “I-I-I don’t know that we’re ready. After all, Daniel and I haven’t been serious for very long. And besides, I have to consider if I do want to stay in Los Angeles. There aren’t even proper seasons here.”

“Well, I know that no one can rush the two of you. Honestly, the amount of time it took for you two to even admit you wanted to be together, I wouldn’t be surprised if the two of you waited another ten years before you considered marriage,” she teased. “Don’t you agree, Mr. Jarvis?”

“Of course, dear,” he replied, bending to place a demure kiss on his wife’s cheek, “but on what subject?”

“That it will be many years before Peggy and Daniel decide to settle down.”

“Oh most certainly. I expect Miss Carter and Chief Sousa shall wait a few decades at least before advancing any further.” He delivered his quip with his usual stuffy, condescending mien intact, fixing Peggy with his best serious expression.

“The two of you would have us married today if you could find a way!” Peggy exclaimed, “And Howard’s no better. He has some fake engagement rings stashed somewhere, and he keeps pretending to drop them or leave them around any time he knows that Daniel and I are with him, or if we are going to be together in the house. It’s wearing on my nerves, and it seems to bother Daniel especially, which of course completely delights Howard and encourages him to continue his antics.”

Ana and Edwin exchanged the briefest of smiles, which Peggy missed due to the animated way in which she was expressing her annoyance with Howard.

Jarvis quickly replied, “Mr. Stark is hardly known for his good behavior, as you well know.”

“Of course,” Peggy said, “but that hardly makes the man less exasperating.”

“We do understand,” Ana told her, “and we’ll be on our best behavior tonight, too, won’t we, dear? No questioning or implying of any sort on our part.”

“None at all,” Edwin agreed, “because we do have high standards for behavior in this household. The Jarvis household, of course.” He felt the need to clarify given Peggy’s puzzled look when she initially thought the household to which he referred was Howard’s. “Very well, Mrs. Jarvis, I must return to the kitchen. Christmas hams do need careful tending. Are you almost done with the decorations? We are expecting Mr. Stark and Mr. Sousa at 4 o’clock, and Mr. Sousa is of course quite likely to arrive at the appropriate time.”

“Yes, Mr. Jarvis, we will be done with plenty of time to spare. Now stop clucking over us and tend to your kitchen!”

Somewhat mollified and shamed, Jarvis did, in fact, return to the kitchen, leaving Ana and Peggy to finish the last details of their decorating.

*****

_ “Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. And since we’ve no place to go…” _

“Yeah, except there’s no snow,” Daniel told his radio. “What’s Christmas without snow? I guess I’ll find out.”

He was almost ready to leave for the Stark mansion, but was looking over his appearance one more time, rehearsing one last time, again, under his breath as he adjusted his collar and tie, looking for nonexistent pieces of lint to pick off his jacket and pants. “Margaret Elizabeth Carter, you are an incredible, generous, talented, caring individual, and I would like to ask for your hand in marriage. Will you spend the rest of your life with me?”

“No, that’s no good, either. “Margaret Elizabeth Carter, I love you. You are a generous, beautiful, capable woman. I want to spend the rest of our lives together. Will you marry me?” No, that’s even worse!”

Daniel’s nerves were making it difficult for him to remember the different versions of his speech he had planned over the previous weeks. He was nearly beside himself, worrying what Peggy would think of him proposing when he had so recently been engaged to another woman, but he also knew that the two of them had discussed his relationship with Violet, and moved on. He didn’t know if he could forgive himself completely for the way things ended with her, but he also knew now that Violet had been right - he had been in love with Peggy for a long time now. At this point, he was familiar with the way these internal conversations usually went, and he knew he needed to remind himself of the last conversation he did have with Violet, and their ultimately amicable (if sad) parting, and the finally candid conversations that he and Peggy shared after that wonderful kiss in his office.

He didn’t want to wait any longer for Peggy, and he felt confident that she felt the same. She blushed but looked hopeful every time Howard Stark, that childish jerk, played his funny jokes with the rings. Daniel almost regretted confiding in Stark regarding his intentions, but the man was ultimately helpful, once he managed to get out all of his innuendos at his and Peggy’s expense. He had known Peggy the longest of anyone he had been in touch with, and he had even known her when she and Captain America were involved. Peggy hadn’t talked to him much about Captain Rogers, about Steve (it felt odd to him to even refer to him by name rather than as Captain America, but he hadn’t known the man). She had opened up to him just enough to inform him in an overly emotionless, clinical fashion, of what had happened, as if she were giving an official report. He had never pressed her on the subject, despite his natural curiosity. He knew she hurt too much. He did know enough of their relationship to know that the two of them had never even been on a date together. They discovered that their feelings were mutual, then he was just gone, after she tried to convince him to land the plane safely.

But he knew now that Peggy wanted him. She wanted to be with him, and he was incredulous and ecstatic that she would want him, and, while nervous, he felt confident that Peggy felt the same way. The two of them had ended up spending almost every free hour and minute together, outside of the agency, and had continued to work together within, for now, although they were looking into what she should do to avoid any implications of impropriety on either of their parts. Jack was even helpful with this, proposing a job for her as a liaison between the New York and Los Angeles branches, although the position was not yet created. He supposed Jack didn’t want to fully let go of Peggy, either, although he would never admit out loud to either Peggy or Daniel that he valued her as an agent now.

Daniel finally gave up on trying to improve his appearance anymore - he knew the suit was looking the best it possibly could - and he simply checked his pocket for the small, understated box he needed to keep nearby. Locating it (it was exactly where it was supposed to be, in the breast pocket of his jacket), he extracted it from his jacket and examined just the box for a moment, contemplating the difference between how he felt now and how he felt months ago when preparing not a dissimilar speech for Violet. He felt calmer, more certain, more willing to take a risk with Peggy than ever, knowing that this question was not truthfully much of a risk. He didn’t know that she would say yes - she was ever her own woman - but he knew that he could not forgive himself for not being entirely honest with her regarding the depth of his own feelings. He took a deep breath, opened the box, and considered the ring itself.

This was the part about which he was most nervous. He had picked something he thought was tasteful enough. Thankfully, he did have Ana’s help with that particular task, something for which he never would have asked, but he found himself agreeing to a time and place to meet her so she could help him before he even realized that Stark must have told Jarvis about their conversation, and then Jarvis confided in his wife. He decided to overlook Stark’s disregard for his request of secrecy given how helpful Ana was with picking out the engagement ring.

Jarvis, Ana, and Stark had all three given him stern warnings in their own more or less direct ways when it became clear that he and Peggy were, at last, involved. Ana and Howard did not mince words, letting him know in no uncertain terms that he was to be more careful in his treatment of Peggy than he had ever been with anyone or anything in his life, or that he would be in serious trouble, Stark saying that this was beyond even his duty to the SSR and that Peggy was more than capable of handling any problems herself, recounting the shield-choosing incident with Rogers, and Ana letting him know that she had given Peggy several concealed holsters he would never be able to find and that she knew Peggy would use them. Even Jarvis was as direct as he could have been, informing him after a few vague statements about gentlemanly behavior and etiquette that he knew if Daniel did anything at all to upset Peggy, he knew that she would take him down without breaking a sweat. Of course, Daniel already knew all of this (the shooting incident with Captain Rogers aside) from first and secondhand experience. She was one of the most capable agents he had ever seen, and she had a tendency to express her negative emotions with physical aggression, to put it mildly.

Finished with his reminiscing, Daniel snapped the box shut, carefully tucked it back into his pocket, patting it once more for good measure, then sighed and grabbed his hat and keys before heading out the door.

*****

“You don’t think she suspects, do you?” Edwin asked nervously.

“Darling, Peggy doesn’t have any idea,” Ana reassured him, placing her hand on his arm. “Mr. Stark always acts like that, so in a way, it’s nothing to make her suspicious. She’s too distracted with the idea that he might propose, anyway, and I think she would like him to. I’m looking forward to hearing what happens. Oh, I wonder what he’ll say to her!”

“He’s not the most eloquent man, but he does have a good head on his shoulders. I’m sure he will have something appropriate, and no doubt heartfelt.”

“You’re right, of course. Chief Sousa is a good man. I’m very happy that they found a way to be together. I can only hope that Peggy will say yes tonight.” Her face brightened, and she continued, “Now, let’s finish setting up. We can expect him any minute, and, you should run to find Mr. Stark so he can be close to on time.”

“When you’re right, you’re right.” Ana gave him a warm smile and a pat, then let him gave him an affectionate push toward the door. Edwin caught her hand and drew her in close for a kiss, then let her go again, leaving Ana to giggle a bit before she finished plating the rest of the hors d’oeuvres.

*****

“Sir, I must remind you that you Chief Sousa asked you specifically to keep his plans secret. You must not continue dropping hints about marriage and proposals around Miss Carter and Mr. Sousa.”  _ Jarvis is far to good at chiding,  _ Howard mused.

“If I stop now,” he said, “then Peg really will be suspicious. I make no promises.”

“Really, sir,--”

“Really, Jarvis. I’ll do whatever I please. Besides, I don’t plan on letting Peggy be a stranger if she does get married, so he’ll just have to get used to me, too. I’ve gotten used to him, so it’s only fair.”

“Perhaps, yes, but he is rather better behaved than you. It isn’t quite an even trade.”

“Are you implying that I’m a pain, Mr. Jarvis?”

“Implying? Goodness no, sir. I’m attempting to state it as plainly as I can.”

“All right, I’ll ease up a bit. But if I don’t do even one, she really will start to suspect something. She knows I can’t behave myself for that long.”

“Very well. Now, as I’ve said, Mr. Sousa will be here any moment, and Miss Carter is likely to be ready momentarily as well, so you really need to get cleaned up for your guests.”

Howard continued writing his notes without any further comment.

“Sir?”

“What, Jarvis? I said I’d lay off a little.”

“Yes, sir, but it’s already a quarter of four and Miss Carter and Chief Sousa will be in the drawing room in fifteen minutes, waiting for you. You need to get ready. You’ll be late as it is.”

“All right, all right. I”ll go up in a minute.”

“Thank you, sir.” Somewhat mollified, Jarvis left, making a mental note to come back in 10 minutes to, he hoped, successfully shoo his employer out of the lab and up to his room to clean up, or, failing that, at very least, up to his guests.

*****

Peggy smoothed the skirt of her dress in an almost nervous fashion, waiting in the formal sitting room with Mrs. Jarvis as Mr. Jarvis went down to make another attempt at getting Howard out of his lab and up to his party, as the first attempt had already failed.

“You look lovely in that dress,” Ana told her. “Red is an excellent color for you, and it’s so festive, too.”

“Thank you. I do like yours. Is this one you made as well?”

“It is, yes. It’s a pattern I had put aside for a while because I didn’t have a fabric I liked for it until now.”

The doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation.

“Ah, that’ll be Chief Sousa, I am sure. I’ll go let him in, since Mr. Jarvis is trying to get Mr. Stark to leave his current task.”

“Oh, that’s quite all right, I can -- “ Peggy started, but Ana cut her off.

“Don’t be silly, Miss Carter! You stay here. Enjoy your drink a moment longer, and you’ll find Chief Sousa at your side again before you can say ‘God save the Queen’.”

Ana whirled around and left the room before Peggy managed to get out a couple of syllables of protest, so she settled in and did as Ana said, taking another nip of her whiskey.

****

“Ah, Mr. Sousa,” Ana said brightly, opening the door. “Come in! It’s good to see you again.”

“Mrs. Jarvis,” Daniel said, “it’s nice to see you. I hope you and Mr. Jarvis are doing well?”

“Yes, very well. Mr. Jarvis is off trying to get Mr. Stark up here with us.” Ana then lowered her voice to inform him in a conspiratorial manner, “Now might be the best time to go ahead with your plan. There’s no telling when Mr. Jarvis will get Mr. Stark out of his lab, so I can go keep them in the lab for now. Are you ready?”

Daniel was taken aback, but managed to stammer, “Oh-oh um… okay.” as Ana ushered him into the house and shut the door.

“Can I take your hat and coat?” She asked him, resuming in her normal tone of voice.

“Oh, um, yes, thank you.” He divested himself of the two as Ana told him “Go on down to the sitting room. Miss Carter is waiting. I had better go check on our boys to make sure Mr. Stark hasn’t convinced Mr. Jarvis to help him with some spur-of-the-moment experiment.”

“You’ll be fine. Good luck!” She added in an undertone, then bustled off before he could say anything else to her.

Daniel took a deep breath, trying to calm the pounding of his heart which had been fairly calm until Ana told him now was the time he had asked for. His mouth went dry, palms damp, mouth unable to swallow, but he had the presence of mind to know he needed to keep walking to the sitting room. His mind now racing, he did his best to use the training he’d learned in the army and at the SSR to help him stay alert and ready to act. This was not something he had trained for, or even been very good at the first time with Violet. He did pause for a second to compulsively check pat his pocket, feeling for the ring’s box, then moved on, satisfied he had not misplaced it this time.

He saw Peggy waiting for him near the door of the sitting room as he turned the corner. She smiled broadly in greeting, and said in her beautiful voice, “Hello, Daniel.”

As soon as he reached the doorway, she reached out to him, taking his free hand in hers and leaning in to give him a kiss. “I’m glad you made it already. Howard is evidently being his typical intransigent self, refusing to put down whatever it is he is working on this time.”

“Good to see you, too, Peg,” Daniel told her, reflexively smiling at her. He couldn’t help but smile when she was looking at him that way she did, eyes bright, sparkling, almost, and with such an open, genuine, infection grin.

“Would you like a whiskey?”

“Yes, actually, but a double, please.”

“Of course. Go on, have a seat. I don’t mind, you know.”

“Thanks, Peg,” he squeezed her hand, widening his smile a bit more, then released her. He decided to sit on the couch in the meantime, and surreptitiously took the jewelry box into his hand, where he could conceal it in his pocket for the moment.

“Was the drive over all right?” she inquired as she unstoppered the decanter and poured his whiskey.

“Yes, fine, thanks.” He realized he sounded short, and continued after a brief pause, “No problems getting around. I guess everyone else is already where they’re supposed to be for Christmas Eve.”

Distracted, he lapsed into silence as she replaced the stopper and turned around with his drink, offering it to him. He took it, murmuring a quick “Thanks,” then immediately took a large sip.

“Daniel, are you sure everything is all right?” Peggy’s concern was quite obvious. Daniel coughed at the bite of the drink, which he didn’t manage to swallow quite right, then managed to croak, “Fine” between a couple more coughs.

“I’m fine,” he said again, in a more normal voice, “Just swallowed wrong.”

“Okay…” Peggy said, not sure what exactly to think.

“Actually, do you think you could get me some water real quick?” he asked her, his voice still a bit raspy.

Peggy got up immediately.and, while her back was to him, Daniel quickly readied himself. For what he knew he had to do next. He waited as calmly as he could manage while Peggy poured the water and turned back reaching toward him with the glass. He accepted the proffered cup, took a sip, then turned to carefully set the glass down on the side table. Taking a deep breath, he turned back and looked at Peggy again.

“Thanks,” he said.

“You’re welcome. Do try not to choke again, though. I think we had more than enough of that during the midnight oil incident.” She smiled wryly but affectionately at him, taking his hand.

Daniel chuckled and looked down for a moment, hesitating, then met her gaze again, unsure of exactly how to start. Peggy continued to smile at him, and stroked his hand gently with her thumb while she waited. It was only a moment more, that he spoke, but Daniel felt as ready as he thought he could be in that moment, so he began to speak.

“Peggy, I’ve admired you for as long as I’ve known you. It was obvious right away, from that first day in the SSR when Dooley introduced you and you corrected him on your title that you were special. The more I got to know you, the more I was impressed. I was a little scared that you would be like most girls and that you wouldn’t give me the time of day outside of work, but I realized that was just me. Not before I ran away, though.”

“Daniel, what is it?” She squeezed his hand again. “I-”

“I just need to finish, Peg, if that’s okay.” He looked at her, seriously, eyes pleading.

Peggy nodded, and Daniel resumed what he was saying.

“I’m sorry, I’m starting to ramble. But it’s important. I know that I ran away, and I realized that’s because I was so ashamed of losing my leg that I let that color my opinion of you, too. I assumed the worst of you, when I should have known better, even then. And now, when I’m with you, I’m still a bit in disbelief that we’re together, but it’s mostly because I have never been this happy before. I hope that you feel the same.”

Daniel faltered for a minute. Peggy’s smile widened and she squeezed his hand again reassure him. He blew out a breath and returned a small smile before continuing.

“What I’m trying to say is, that, Peggy, you’re an incredible woman. You’re bright, generous, caring, capable, and I am so lucky to have you in my life.” At this, Daniel suddenly released Peggy’s hand, startling Peggy, as she thought something was wrong. Daniel knelt on the floor and finally revealed the small velvet box he had been concealing in his other hand throughout the conversation. Peggy’s eyes widened as she spied the box then locked eyes with Daniel again, her mouth slightly open from shock.

“Margaret Elizabeth Carter, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, if you’ll have me.” At this point, he broke her gaze to quickly open the box, then met her sparkling eyes again. “Will you marry me?”

Peggy knew what he said, and understood, but found herself unable to react. Daniel waited patiently while she gathered her thoughts again. Her mouth closed, her eyes focused clearly again, and she sank to the floor in front of him, kneeling herself now.

“Yes, Daniel, yes, I’ll marry you, of course I’ll marry you!” Peggy threw her arms around his neck as she kissed him fiercely. Daniel wrapped his free arm around her waist, and returned the kiss, unable to keep from smiling as he did so. They broke apart, both radiant, smiling from ear to ear, lost in one another’s eyes as a raucous and decidedly ungentlemanly whoop broke them from their happy reverie. They turned in time to see the source of the outburst rushing into the room with the Jarvises hot on his heels, all three wearing wide grins. Howard fell to his knees beside them and embraced them both firmly.

“I was wondering if you’d get around to it tonight or not, Sousa, and here you are doing it ahead of schedule!” Howard was exuberant. “What’s the matter, couldn’t wait? I don’t blame you. Peg’s the real deal, aren’t you?”

Peggy’s smile faded for a moment as she processed what Howard said and saw the matching stunned looks on the Jarvises’ faces.

“Daniel,” she started, “Did everyone know that you were going to propose to me tonight?”

He looked at her, looking decidedly more sheepish than he had seconds before. Howard saved him the trouble of an explanation by providing one. “Sousa here wanted to make sure he got a chance to do it as soon as possible, so he told me. He came to me for advice, even, and I helped him out pretty well, it seems. And I told Ana and Jarvis because I knew they needed to know, too.”

“You didn’t give me a single bit of usable advice, Stark!” Daniel immediately contradicted Howard.

“Sure I did!” Howard exclaimed as he released them and stood up again. “Name one thing that you couldn’t use.”

Daniel exchanged an incredulous look with Peggy, then replied, “Training the animals in your menagerie to hold up signs on cue, for starters.”

“Well, you’re wrong, but that’s okay.” Howard seemed unaffected by the rejection of his idea. “Are you going to give her the ring already or what?”

Peggy stood and then helped Daniel stand as well. “Yes, Daniel, can I have it now? It’s beautiful.”

“Of course you can.” He carefully removed the ring from its box, then slid it onto her finger as she watched, clearly overjoyed. “Merry Christmas, Peggy.”

Beaming, she leaned in and kissed him again, then replied, “Merry Christmas, Daniel.”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I'm still sad I don't get a season 3, so I decided I deserve something happy. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> If you see any typos, especially anything egregious, please let me know. I didn't get the time I wanted to edit because I had to write this pretty quickly.


End file.
